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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: pitcher · bass · capital · bear · prune · rush · patient · jam

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. prune — to trim
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bass — low music
  24. rush — a thrill

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