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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. scale — in music
  5. track — a path
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. track — to keep track
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. track — a song
  22. game — wild animals
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bulb — for light

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