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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. field — a subject
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kid — child
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bowl — a dish

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