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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.

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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: march · straw · snap · bulb · hide · racket · patient · mark

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mark — a trace
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — for light
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mark — a grade

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