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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 116 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: clip · charge · lash · bulb · last · patient · field · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — farmland
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. charge — in control
  5. clip — a video
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bound — certain
  8. charge — electricity
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — to go on
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — to cut
  15. field — a subject
  16. charge — a price
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. last — final
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — finally

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