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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: wound · wake · chair · pit · patient · staff · bulb · hand

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. staff — a stick
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — help
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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