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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: prune · date · mouse · face · pitch · stand · patient · shower

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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 — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stand — to bear
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitch — completely
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stand — for spectators
  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