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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. root — of a word
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spell — letters
  5. root — of a plant
  6. face — part of the head
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. band — a music group
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — a face
  12. face — to point toward
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. spell — a short time
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spell — magic
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mug — to rob
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. root — the cause
  23. bulb — for light
  24. band — a ring

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