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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: kid · cold · patient · lash · bulb · scale · file · lie

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kid — child
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. file — a document
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kid — to tease
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. scale — in music
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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