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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: patient · cell · cold · cap · lie · key · bear · prune

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cell — in biology
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bear — the animal
  21. key — in music
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cold — not warm

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