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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: patient · chip · ball · prune · ground · net · safe · rush

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. net — after costs
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a great time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chip — for betting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chip — to eat
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. ground — the earth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ball — a dance

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