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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. last — to go on
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rock — a stone
  17. last — finally
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rock — music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cabinet — ministers

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