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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bulb — for light
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fall — the season
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bulb — for light
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. deal — to handle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. trunk — of a tree

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