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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: patient · pass · arm · chest · prune · track · snap · ball

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. track — a song
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — a box
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. track — to keep track
  14. snap — to click
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ball — a dance
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. track — a path
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. prune — the fruit

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