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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: patient · drill · straw · pit · march · bat · rock · bulb

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — music
  24. pit — in a race

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