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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: patient · object · firm · prune · hand · ball · present · content

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. object — an aim
  3. firm — a company
  4. present — the time now
  5. hand — help
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. firm — steady
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — in cards
  14. content — happy
  15. present — a gift
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. present — there
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. firm — decided
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ball — a dance
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — the amount

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