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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. capital — money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — in sport
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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