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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. swing — in golf
  3. land — ground
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — the season
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. spring — a coil
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. land — to come down

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