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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. drill — a practice
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bank — of a river
  8. season — of the year
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — a match
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. patient — a sick person

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