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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: straw · club · rest · rush · march · bay · patient · season

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — of the year
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. march — the month
  22. club — a group
  23. march — music
  24. club — for golf

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