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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. season — of the year
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rash — a series
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rash — hasty
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — certain
  23. date — the fruit
  24. racket — a loud noise

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