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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: plane · cell · hide · patient · stick · can · prune · bear

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — in biology

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