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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 · bound · row · toast · leaves · patient · pitcher · straw

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — obliged
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bound — tied together
  19. toast — bread
  20. bound — certain
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. leaves — to go away

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