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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: track · patient · leaves · bear · kid · drill · wave · prune

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — a song
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. patient — a sick person

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