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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: patient · track · prune · sharp · content · bank · pitch · mine

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a song
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bank — for money
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a path
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mine — for digging
  21. content — happy
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. sharp — with an edge

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