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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 120 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: club · straw · patient · field · bulb · mine · bear · ruler

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. field — farmland
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. club — a group
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. club — for golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. field — a subject

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