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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: pound · last · fine · bulb · patient · board · band · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fine — high quality
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. band — a ring
  18. last — to go on
  19. fine — all right
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. pound — a weight

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