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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. club — for dancing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. band — a music group
  7. can — to be able to
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. band — a ring
  20. branch — a division
  21. club — for golf
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lie — to recline
  24. can — a tin

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