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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: net · wind · key · lash · race · patient · kick · prune

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. key — in music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. race — a contest
  12. wind — moving air
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. net — after costs
  18. race — humankind
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — the arms race

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