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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · patient · bank · scale · pitcher · pound · straw · prune

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — a straw man

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