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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · bulb · pound · chest · bear · patient

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cell — in biology
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chest — a box
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bulb — 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