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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · cell · land · bay · mate · dip · spring · patient

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — in sport
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spring — of water
  12. mate — a partner
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. land — ground
  19. mate — a friend
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — a country
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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