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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — for light
  6. object — an aim
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. object — a thing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. season — of the year
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — in sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. object — to protest
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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