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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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. drill — the tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — army training
  12. court — for sport
  13. drill — a practice
  14. object — to protest
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. branch — a division
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. object — a thing
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pass — a permit

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