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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: bass · saw · patient · nail · bat · season · prune · board

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. saw — the tool
  6. board — a committee
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. season — in sport
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. board — to get on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bass — low music
  21. season — of the year
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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