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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. foot — a measure
  6. spell — magic
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. staff — a stick
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — final
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — letters
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. last — finally
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — to go on
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mate — a friend

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