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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. file — a line of people
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. season — in sport
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — of the year
  14. spell — magic
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spell — a short time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a document
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spell — letters
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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