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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 120 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: firm · rash · mark · bulb · clip · patient · cold · can

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mark — a trace
  8. clip — for paper
  9. firm — steady
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. firm — a company
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cold — an illness
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — a series
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. clip — a video
  24. firm — decided

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