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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: hide · root · mine · swing · patient · date · wake · season

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — in golf
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. root — the cause
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. season — of the year
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — of a word
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mine — for digging
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — a trail
  20. swing — to play on
  21. season — in sport
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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