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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: bulb · race · deal · perch · saw · bat · patient · drill

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. race — a contest
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. race — humankind
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bat — for baseball

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