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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: can · field · net · ground · bear · temple · patient · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. field — for sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — farmland
  11. ground — crushed
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — a position
  16. can — a tin
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. bear — the animal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. net — after costs
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — a subject

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