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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: cue · patient · bulb · field · race · drill · charge · rush

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. race — the arms race
  3. field — a subject
  4. drill — the tool
  5. charge — electricity
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cue — a hint
  10. race — humankind
  11. field — for sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cue — for pool
  17. field — farmland
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cue — a signal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. race — a contest
  24. drill — army training

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