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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. chest — a box
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. roll — a cake
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rest — a break
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. roll — a list
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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