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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.

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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: drill · bat · mark · season · patient · can · hide · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wake — a trail
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — the animal
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — of the year
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. can — a tin
  19. mark — a grade
  20. season — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. can — to be able to

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