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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. face — part of the head
  3. prune — to trim
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — to breed
  7. season — of the year
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mark — a grade
  11. face — to point toward
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. face — to confront
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. season — in sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — to trim

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