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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: board · degree · key · patient · band · bulb · tear · fall

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bulb — for light
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. key — the most important part
  7. tear — from crying
  8. band — a ring
  9. fall — the season
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — from a university
  15. board — a committee
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. degree — an amount
  18. tear — from crying
  19. board — to get on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — to rip
  23. band — a music group
  24. degree — temperature

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