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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitch — completely
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. snap — to click
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. fall — the season
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. can — to be able to
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — finally
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. last — final

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