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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.

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 · sharp · rule · kid · patient · spring · chest · pass

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — a coil
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — of water
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chest — a box

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