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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. date — the fruit
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stem — to come from
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. march — music

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