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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: leaves · ground · mate · patient · ruler · snap · prune · ball

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ball — a dance
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mate — to breed
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ground — a position
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ground — crushed
  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