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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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Word bank
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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: fan · club · present · tear · bear · patient · bulb · chest

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — there
  11. club — a group
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bulb — for light
  16. club — for dancing
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. present — the time now
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — of your body
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chest — a box
  24. club — for golf

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