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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: content · bulb · plane · patient · pitcher · staff · rush · band

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bulb — for light
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. content — happy
  16. band — a music group
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. staff — employees
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. content — the amount
  23. bulb — for light
  24. plane — an aircraft

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