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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — finally
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — a path
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — in sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. last — to go on
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. track — a song
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. last — final
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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