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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: season · lash · ground · pitcher · mate · patient · fan · rule

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rule — government
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rule — a law
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — in sport
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. lash — to lash out

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