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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. season — in sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. date — the fruit
  16. field — farmland
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — a coil
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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