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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: hide · bulb · pit · object · bat · stick · patient · wake

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. object — to protest
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pit — a hole
  9. object — an aim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wake — a trail
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. object — a thing
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — the animal

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