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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — of the year
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. season — in sport
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bay — a horse colour

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