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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: hide · squash · bore · field · current · bulb · cue · patient

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. current — of water
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. field — for sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — happening now
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — electric
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. cue — a signal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bore — gave birth

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