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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bulb — for light
  4. dip — to sink
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. plane — a tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. scale — in music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bat — the animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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