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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. land — to come down
  4. deal — to handle
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. club — for golf
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — a group
  12. land — ground
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. club — for dancing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — a country
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. deal — a big deal

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