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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.

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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: rush · cap · chest · spell · bound · bulb · content · patient

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bound — certain
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — tied together
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — a box
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rush — hurry

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