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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: cue · prune · object · cell · pitch · sharp · drill · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cue — a hint
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. object — to protest
  11. cue — for pool
  12. object — a thing
  13. cue — a signal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — completely
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cell — in biology
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — to trim
  24. object — an aim

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