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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rule — government
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a music group
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. rule — a law
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — the underground
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. band — a ring
  14. field — a subject
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — army training
  22. fall — the season
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — the tool

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