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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — of the year
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. season — in sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. patient — a sick person

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