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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 · rash · press · bulb · saw · spring · rock · pound

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pound — a weight
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — of water
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — the season
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rash — a series
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rock — a stone
  19. press — to push
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. saw — the tool

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