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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. spell — magic
  4. pop — to visit
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. pop — soda
  9. season — in sport
  10. present — there
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. present — a gift
  14. pop — music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — letters
  18. file — a tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. stand — to bear
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a document
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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