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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 · craft · hand · wound · wax · current · patient · hide

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. craft — boats
  3. hand — help
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. current — electric
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. current — happening now
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wax — to grow
  23. current — of water
  24. prune — to trim

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