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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. suit — clothes
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. shower — to wash
  12. suit — to fit
  13. season — of the year
  14. roll — a cake
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — a country
  19. shower — rain
  20. roll — a list
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — to add flavour

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