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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: straw · patient · saw · pop · bat · mark · bulb · board

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pop — soda
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bat — the animal
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. bat — in an idiom

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