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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 120 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 · club · patient · deal · stem · suit · prune · season

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — to keep track
  5. club — for golf
  6. stem — to come from
  7. season — of the year
  8. club — for dancing
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. club — a group
  11. suit — clothes
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. track — a path
  15. suit — in cards
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. season — in sport
  24. stem — a stem cell

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