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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 124 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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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: cue · patient · plane · degree · straw · mate · prune · wind

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — a hint
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mate — a friend
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — temperature
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. plane — a tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. degree — an amount
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cue — a signal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. prune — to trim
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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