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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: mine · season · pound · patient · prune · squash · land · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — the sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pound — a weight
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. squash — to crush
  21. foot — a measure
  22. land — ground
  23. prune — to trim
  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