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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hand — in cards
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. foot — a measure

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