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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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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: lash · jam · bulb · patient · pitcher · ruler · wind · row

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wind — to turn a key

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