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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: land · prune · lash · degree · patient · swing · charge · season

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. prune — to trim
  5. swing — in golf
  6. prune — to trim
  7. charge — a price
  8. land — to come down
  9. season — of the year
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. land — a country
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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