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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: stick · patient · lie · swing · present · bound · game · bulb

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bulb — for light
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — there
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — a gift
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — music
  24. bulb — for light

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