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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: bear · fan · prune · spell · patient · toast · hide · can

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bear — the animal
  7. can — a tin
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — a tin
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. can — to be able to
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. fan — to cool the air

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