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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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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: straw · kick · snap · club · patient · march · prune · mine

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. club — for dancing
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. march — music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mine — for digging
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. club — for golf
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kick — in football
  24. snap — to click

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