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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: prune · bound · clip · cabinet · patient · current · fork · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bat — the animal
  13. current — electric
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — certain
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bound — obliged
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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