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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: board · patient · key · safe · ball · prune · cell · rule

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rule — a law
  3. cell — a phone
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ball — a dance
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rule — government
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cell — in biology
  22. key — in music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ball — a round shape

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