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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — of the year
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. spring — the season
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — in sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spring — a coil

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