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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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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: staff · saw · wake · kid · prune · mark · pound · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. kid — to tease
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — a trail
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — child
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — before a funeral

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