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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · firm · prune · wind · patient · last · game · staff

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. staff — a stick
  3. firm — a company
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. firm — decided
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — finally
  8. firm — steady
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. last — final
  12. date — the fruit
  13. staff — employees
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — to go on
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. staff — employees
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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