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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: pop · mug · wind · patient · mine · club · season · lean

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — to rob
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pop — music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. club — a group
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — for golf
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mug — a face
  13. lean — thin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lean — to bend
  24. season — in sport

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