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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hand — help
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hand — in cards
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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