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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: wound · tube · deal · pit · safe · prune · shower · patient

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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. tube — a container
  4. deal — to handle
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pit — a hole
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. shower — rain
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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