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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. season — in sport
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bear — the animal
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — all right
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — the animal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. last — final
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. last — to go on
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. season — of the year
  24. patient — a sick person

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