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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: mine · fall · prune · rush · content · bass · trunk · patient

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bass — low music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bass — the fish
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. content — happy
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — belonging to me

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