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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. shower — rain
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — a position
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — to wash
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. racket — for tennis

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