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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — a subject
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. scale — in music
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. tube — a container
  16. scale — size or range
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tube — in a tire

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