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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: pitcher · chest · cabinet · patient · plane · straw · pop · bulb

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — a box
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bulb — for light
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. plane — an aircraft

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