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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 120 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: bound · fan · content · prune · mine · drill · patient · track

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mine — for digging
  4. track — a song
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bound — obliged
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — tied together
  10. drill — army training
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — to keep track
  13. drill — a practice
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — certain
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. fan — a supporter

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