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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · file · patient · cabinet · hide · fine · rash · pitcher

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — all right
  5. file — a tool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a document
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rash — a series
  24. file — a line of people

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