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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: season · spring · patient · pass · lash · key · lean · track

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lean — to bend
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. track — a path
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. key — for a lock
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — thin
  18. spring — the season
  19. pass — a permit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. track — to keep track

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