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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: deal · chest · march · ball · rush · ground · bulb · patient

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chest — a box
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. march — music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a dance
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — of a plant

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