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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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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: bulb · patient · fan · temple · rush · pitcher · snap · saw

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. saw — the tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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