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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: patient · rule · pitcher · prune · spell · coach · shower · fine

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — government
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — letters
  13. fine — all right
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — rain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rule — a law
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. prune — to trim
  23. shower — to wash
  24. patient — a sick person

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