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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pop — to visit
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — ground
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bound — certain
  17. rock — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — a country
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — soda
  23. prune — to trim
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com