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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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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: patient · key · cold · leaves · chest · rule · bulb · wound

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rule — government
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. key — for a lock
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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