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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.

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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. season — of the year
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. key — in music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. key — the most important part
  11. present — there
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — final
  14. pound — a weight
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — music
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pop — soda
  24. season — to add flavour

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