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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — moving air
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — a trail
  12. swing — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. season — of the year
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. game — wild animals

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