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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 120 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: prune · march · patient · charge · key · spring · court · cue

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. key — the most important part
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a hint
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. charge — electricity
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cue — a signal
  11. charge — a price
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spring — of water
  17. key — in music
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. court — of law
  20. spring — a coil
  21. march — music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. charge — in control
  24. key — for a lock

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