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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. season — of the year
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lean — thin
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lean — to bend
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — the fish
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — in sport
  24. rash — on the skin

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