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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: staff · racket · season · patient · tear · object · last · date

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — of the year
  3. last — final
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tear — to rip
  8. object — a thing
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. last — to go on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — in sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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