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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.

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: net · pitch · bore · patient · lie · prune · cell · season

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bore — to tire
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. net — in sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cell — a phone
  14. season — in sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — after costs
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. net — for catching

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