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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — to come from
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. degree — from a university
  12. march — the month
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stem — of a plant

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