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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: can · straw · stand · bulb · net · saw · spring · patient

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — the season
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. net — for catching
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. net — after costs
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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