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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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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: prune · stick · wake · pitch · racket · rash · bass · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rash — a series
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bass — the fish
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — completely
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — a trail
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. racket — a loud noise

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