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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. present — the time now
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. present — there
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a line of people
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. present — a gift
  10. charge — in control
  11. capital — a city
  12. file — a document
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — money
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity

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