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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bulb — for light
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. present — a gift
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pop — to visit
  11. kick — in football
  12. pop — music
  13. present — the time now
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pop — soda
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — there
  22. toast — bread
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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