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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: patient · pound · cell · club · game · cabinet · bulb · sharp

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — a phone
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — for golf
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. club — a group
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. sharp — clever
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cell — in biology

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