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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — in sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. season — of the year
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. jam — in traffic

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