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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cap — of ice
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — hasty
  5. board — to get on
  6. bank — for money
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. field — farmland
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bank — of a river
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — for sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. rash — a series
  23. field — a subject
  24. clip — for paper

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