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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — a country
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — help
  11. mark — a trace
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. land — ground
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. season — in sport
  23. mark — a grade
  24. season — of the year

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