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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 116 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: rest · stick · straw · season · prune · pitcher · patient · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — in sport
  5. rest — a break
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fall — the season
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — of the year
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitcher — a jug

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