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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: last · prune · ball · patient · bear · trunk · nail · lie

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lie — to recline
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. ball — a great time

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