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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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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: game · race · dip · staff · tear · cue · patient · prune

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. dip — to sink
  15. cue — a signal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. race — humankind
  19. cue — a hint
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — to trim
  24. dip — to dunk

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