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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: cell · court · row · patient · lash · prune · stand · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. row — to paddle
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — for sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cell — a phone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. court — of law
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. court — of a king
  23. row — a line
  24. stand — for spectators

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