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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cue · fall · cell · saw · bulb · mug · bound

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cell — in biology
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bound — certain
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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