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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: pitcher · lash · race · stand · board · fall · patient · prune

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fall — to drop
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — to get on
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stand — to bear
  9. board — a committee
  10. race — the arms race
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. race — a contest
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fall — the season
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. race — humankind

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