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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. game — wild animals

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