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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 116 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: mine · bulb · cabinet · last · spring · stick · saw · patient

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — final
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. last — to go on
  20. spring — of water
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. last — finally

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