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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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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: board · prune · rush · object · patient · cell · fork · snap

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cell — a phone
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. board — a committee
  8. object — an aim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. prune — to trim
  11. object — a thing
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. object — to protest
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cell — in biology
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rush — hurry
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. snap — to click

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