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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. last — final
  3. spring — of water
  4. bound — certain
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. last — to go on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — finally
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bulb — for light

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