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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — hasty
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — army training
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. season — of the year
  13. drill — a practice
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rash — a series
  17. march — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. march — the month
  21. season — in sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. root — the cause

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