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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: prune · season · patient · ground · march · last · hand · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. firm — decided
  7. march — the month
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. prune — to trim
  11. firm — a company
  12. last — final
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — in cards
  19. season — of the year
  20. last — finally
  21. march — music
  22. ground — a position
  23. last — to go on
  24. ground — the earth

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