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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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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: cue · club · straw · snap · chest · cell · bulb · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chest — a box
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — a group
  16. snap — to click
  17. club — for golf
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cue — for pool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — for dancing

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