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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spell — letters
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. net — for catching
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chest — of your body
  12. capital — a city
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — in sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — after costs
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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