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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pass — a permit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. spring — a coil
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. scale — in music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — final
  23. spring — of water
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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