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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: present · patient · mark · can · cabinet · swing · prune · last

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — there
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — to play on
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. swing — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — the time now
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — to be able to
  24. swing — in golf

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