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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 116 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: wake · prune · rule · pitch · patient · mark · last · staff

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pitch — completely
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. staff — employees
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mark — a trace
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wake — a trail
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. staff — employees

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