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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: spring · racket · row · patient · staff · bear · bulb · object

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — a stick
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. object — a thing
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. object — an aim
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spring — of water
  23. row — a line
  24. racket — a loud noise

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