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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. firm — steady
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. club — for golf
  7. firm — a company
  8. club — for dancing
  9. net — after costs
  10. bulb — for light
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — in sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. net — for catching
  19. land — ground
  20. drill — a practice
  21. club — a group
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. firm — decided

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