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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. plane — a tool
  4. key — the most important part
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. key — in music
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bulb — for light
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — for a lock
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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