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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: fall · season · club · patient · cap · stand · mug · squash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. squash — the sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stand — to bear
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mug — a face
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — of ice
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — in sport
  21. club — for golf
  22. cap — a lid
  23. club — a group
  24. patient — a sick person

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