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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: fine · bore · sharp · pitcher · prune · spring · pit · patient

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — a coil
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — in a race
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — of water
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fine — all right
  22. pit — a hole
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bore — gave birth

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