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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: bowl · suit · prune · fork · hand · patient · chest · ground

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — help
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. suit — clothes
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. prune — to trim
  18. suit — in cards
  19. ground — a position
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. suit — to fit
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — crushed

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