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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. season — of the year
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — a division
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mate — a friend
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cue — a signal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. can — a tin
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cue — a hint
  23. season — in sport
  24. cue — for pool

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