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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — in sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bulb — for light
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lean — thin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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