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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: tear · prune · clip · board · present · cabinet · patient · last

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — a video
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. clip — to cut
  10. board — a committee
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. board — to get on
  15. present — the time now
  16. last — finally
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — there
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cabinet — ministers

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