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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 116 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: kick · perch · patient · spell · bulb · bark · wind · kid

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. kick — in football
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — child
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — moving air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — letters
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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