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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spell — magic
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bear — the animal
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lie — to recline
  10. spell — letters
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. field — for sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. field — farmland
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. field — a subject
  22. deal — to handle
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. board — a flat piece

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