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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: spring · season · face · patient · swing · rush · key · cabinet

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. key — in music
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spring — the season
  11. key — for a lock
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. swing — to play on
  16. key — the most important part
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — a coil

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