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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: present · season · craft · fan · swing · ground · patient · rule

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. swing — to play on
  4. season — of the year
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. present — the time now
  7. rule — a law
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ground — the earth
  11. present — there
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — government
  19. swing — in golf
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. swing — music
  24. present — a gift

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