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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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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: racket · patient · field · stick · prune · tear · bound · wave

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tear — to rip
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. prune — to trim
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — certain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — a subject
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — farmland
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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