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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — a container
  5. game — a match
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spring — of water
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bass — the instrument

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