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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bark — to shout
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bulb — for light
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rash — a series
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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