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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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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 · ball · patient · rush · mine · fork · march · bulb

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fork — in a road
  8. march — music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. season — of the year
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ball — a great time
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mine — an explosive

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