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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. season — in sport
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spell — letters
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spell — magic
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — a short time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. staff — employees
  21. branch — a division
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pass — a permit
  24. staff — employees

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