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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 120 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 · fall · scale · patient · clip · rash · rock

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. scale — in music
  5. content — happy
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — for paper
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. clip — a video
  13. scale — size or range
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rock — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bulb — for light

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