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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a music group
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bark — to shout

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