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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — of the year
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. can — to be able to
  5. season — in sport
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — hasty
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spell — letters
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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