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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: leaves · present · plane · last · arm · patient · season · track

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — a song
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. present — there
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — of the year
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. track — to keep track
  13. present — the time now
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. present — a gift
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. season — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. plane — a tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. track — a path
  24. arm — part of the body

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