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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — to go on
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. root — the cause
  13. land — a country
  14. last — final
  15. land — to come down
  16. root — of a plant
  17. land — ground
  18. season — of the year
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — finally
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. root — of a word
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. season — in sport

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