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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 · fine · rash · mine · spell · board · clip · bulb

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fine — all right
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — hasty
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fine — high quality
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — a video
  13. mine — for digging
  14. board — a committee
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. board — to get on
  17. rash — a series
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spell — magic

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