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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: wound · dip · prune · patient · rest · board · hand · mug

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. board — to get on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mug — to rob
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mug — a face
  17. hand — help
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mug — a cup
  22. board — a committee
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hand — part of the body

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