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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 116 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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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: pitch · wind · squash · row · prune · patient · leaves · face

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. face — to point toward
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitch — completely
  14. row — a line
  15. prune — to trim
  16. face — part of the head
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. squash — to crush
  24. patient — a sick person

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