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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · racket · spring · board · track · prune · land · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a path
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — to come down
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. land — ground
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. spring — of water
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — the season
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. track — a song
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — a country
  23. spring — a coil
  24. racket — a loud noise

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