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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 120 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: bay · staff · patient · bulb · chest · stand · game · clip

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chest — a box
  12. game — a match
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — a video
  17. staff — employees
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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