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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · prune · patient · cell · mark · file · cabinet · trunk

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. file — a tool
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. file — a document
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. trunk — of a car

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