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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.

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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: cue · game · rest · patient · prune · bore · dip · arm

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. dip — to sink
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rest — what's left
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — a match
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — to drill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to dunk

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