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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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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: race · cue · prune · tear · last · foot · patient · fall

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. last — finally
  4. foot — a measure
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — to rip
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — humankind
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — a contest
  14. cue — a signal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fall — the season
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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