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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: pass · perch · patient · mine · racket · mug · prune · kid

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mug — a face
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pass — a permit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mug — to rob
  24. prune — to trim

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