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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.

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 · patient · bat · club · stick · shower · mate · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. shower — rain
  3. bat — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — a partner
  7. club — for golf
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. club — a group
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. season — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mate — a friend
  23. club — for dancing
  24. season — of the year

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