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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — of water
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — the season
  8. firm — a company
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bore — to tire
  12. firm — steady
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to drill
  18. firm — decided
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hand — help
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cap — a lid
  23. roll — a list
  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