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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cue — a hint
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. game — a match
  7. root — the cause
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. root — of a plant
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. root — of a word
  14. band — a music group
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cue — for pool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. band — a ring
  21. content — happy
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — wild animals

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