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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · saw · degree · rush · racket · prune

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rush — hurry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim

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