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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: track · patient · pit · leaves · mate · dip · season · clip

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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. leaves — to go away
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mate — a partner
  6. track — to keep track
  7. clip — a video
  8. pit — in a race
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a song
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — a path
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. season — of the year
  17. mate — a friend
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — in sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mate — to breed

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