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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: prune · club · cell · arm · fine · face · patient · pitcher

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fine — all right
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fine — high quality
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. club — for golf
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. face — to confront
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cell — in biology

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