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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. branch — a division
  5. ground — the earth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — a position
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. band — a ring
  23. squash — to crush
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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