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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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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: pitcher · rest · fork · sharp · prune · patient · current · saw

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rest — what's left
  12. current — of water
  13. sharp — clever
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — electric
  20. prune — to trim
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — happening now
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. saw — the tool

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