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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fork — in a road
  6. swing — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — a series
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. swing — to play on
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. shower — rain
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. fork — a garden tool

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