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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — a phone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hand — help
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. mug — a face
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fine — high quality
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fine — all right
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stem — to come from

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