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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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468
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: bulb · ground · spring · perch · content · hide · patient · wake

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — the amount
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — a trail
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spring — of water

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