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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. scale — in music
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. scale — size or range
  10. foot — a measure
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — ground
  19. season — of the year
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pound — a weight
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. season — in sport

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