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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.

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: fan · content · saw · march · bulb · race · date · patient

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. march — the month
  4. race — a contest
  5. march — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. content — the amount
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. race — humankind
  16. content — happy
  17. march — the month
  18. race — the arms race
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bulb — for light
  24. content — videos and posts

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