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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: season · field · squash · patient · mug · perch · mate · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — for sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mug — a face
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — to breed
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — farmland
  15. mug — to rob
  16. season — of the year
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — in sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. field — a subject
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — to crush

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