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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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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — a subject
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. rash — a series
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. last — finally
  17. spring — a coil
  18. root — the cause
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — to go on
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — final
  24. rash — hasty

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