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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bank — for money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. club — for golf
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bank — of a river
  21. club — a group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — for dancing

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