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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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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: fall · patient · bulb · mouse · wave · club · wind · lean

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fall — the season
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lean — thin
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. club — a group
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. club — for golf
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for dancing

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