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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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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — in music
  13. shower — rain
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to click
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. craft — a skill
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. scale — size or range
  24. craft — boats

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