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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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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: pound · chair · bass · pitcher · leaves · prune · can · patient

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pound — a weight
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bass — low music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bass — the fish
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chair — to sit on

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