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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 120 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kid — child
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. present — a gift
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spring — of water
  15. present — there
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. present — the time now
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spring — the season
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cue — a hint
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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