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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: tear · prune · tube · mug · patient · game · branch · pop

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. branch — a division
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a match
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mug — a cup
  8. game — wild animals
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — to rob
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pop — music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mug — a face
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pop — to visit
  24. branch — of a tree

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