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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: patient · dip · roll · bulb · court · spring · net · staff

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bulb — for light
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — of a king
  5. staff — a stick
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. net — for catching
  8. dip — to sink
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. roll — a cake
  12. court — of law
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — after costs
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — in sport

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