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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: sharp · last · rash · shower · bulb · craft · patient · chest

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — final
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. last — to go on
  14. shower — rain
  15. rash — hasty
  16. last — finally
  17. craft — boats
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chest — a box
  22. rash — a series
  23. chest — of your body
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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