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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. last — to go on
  3. season — in sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — final
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — of the year
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. last — finally
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. branch — a division
  24. wave — of the sea

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