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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 116 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: land · bowl · hand · patient · straw · bulb · board · mate

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mate — a partner
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mate — to breed
  11. land — a country
  12. board — a committee
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. land — ground
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — to get on
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — help
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — in cards

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