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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: prune · key · rule · patient · bat · rock · face · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rule — government
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bat — the animal
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — to confront
  15. rock — a stone
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — in music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rule — a law
  22. key — for a lock
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — music

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