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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — a face
  4. tube — the underground
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — in sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — a container
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. mug — a cup

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