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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: mug · prune · patient · track · chair · cue · wind · snap

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cue — a signal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a cup
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mug — a face
  19. chair — a leader
  20. snap — to click
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a song
  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