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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. branch — a division
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cap — of ice
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chest — a box

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