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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — the most important part
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — electric
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. band — a music group
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bat — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. current — happening now
  21. bulb — for light
  22. key — in music
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. perch — the fish

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