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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 120 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: fine · patient · pop · bulb · last · season · swing · pit

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — to go on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. swing — in golf
  9. last — final
  10. season — in sport
  11. pop — soda
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. last — finally
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pit — in a race
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pit — a hole
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. season — of the year
  24. swing — music

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