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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 120 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. club — a group
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. ground — a position
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. rash — a series
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ground — crushed
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fork — in a road
  20. club — for golf
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. band — a ring

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