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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: charge · deal · swing · patient · bulb · spring · mate · bass

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bass — low music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — the season
  13. swing — music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spring — of water
  16. bass — the fish
  17. deal — to handle
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spring — a coil

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