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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tube — the underground
  7. court — of a king
  8. charge — a price
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. charge — electricity
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — a container
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. charge — in control
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. court — of law
  23. tear — to rip
  24. patient — a sick person

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