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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: bulb · fall · mark · present · patient · board · row · craft

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bulb — for light
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. present — a gift
  8. row — to paddle
  9. craft — boats
  10. fall — the season
  11. board — to get on
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. craft — a skill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. row — a line
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bulb — for light

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