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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 · arm · wind · season · bulb · bat · deal · bass

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — for light
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. deal — to handle
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bass — low music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. season — in sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — the fish
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wind — moving air

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