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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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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: last · bulb · nail · saw · spell · stand · rest · patient

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — final
  5. rest — what's left
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — to go on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spell — magic
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — to bear
  23. last — finally
  24. patient — a sick person

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