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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bass — low music
  3. present — a gift
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — a series
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tube — the underground
  8. club — for golf
  9. tube — a container
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. club — for dancing
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. club — a group
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. bass — the fish
  24. patient — a sick person

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