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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cap — a hat
  4. suit — in cards
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — for sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. field — farmland
  12. clip — to cut
  13. suit — to fit
  14. field — a subject
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cap — a lid
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cap — of ice
  22. clip — a video
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mark — a grade

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