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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. object — to protest
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pit — in a race
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. object — an aim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — for sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. lash — an eyelash

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