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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. root — of a plant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. season — of the year
  5. kid — child
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — in a race
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. scale — in music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. season — in sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — to tease
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a hole

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