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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: bat · patient · chair · dip · bulb · field · rule · root

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — the animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chair — a leader
  10. dip — to sink
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — for sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. root — of a word
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. dip — to dunk

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