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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 · bulb · kid · date · season · game · patient · bound

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — obliged
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — wild animals
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. season — in sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — certain
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. season — of the year

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