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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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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: patient · tear · safe · bound · band · rush · wake · prune

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a music group
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. band — a ring
  7. wake — a trail
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bound — certain
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rush — hurry
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bound — tied together

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