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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. drill — a practice
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — of a plant
  7. drill — army training
  8. roll — a cake
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — the cause
  11. present — there
  12. bound — tied together
  13. roll — a list
  14. present — a gift
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — certain
  17. drill — the tool
  18. season — in sport
  19. bound — obliged
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. present — the time now
  22. bulb — for light
  23. root — of a word
  24. patient — a sick person

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