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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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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 · cabinet · wound · nail · patient · deal · stick · tear

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. deal — to handle
  19. tear — to rip
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cabinet — ministers

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