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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — in cards
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. suit — clothes
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. suit — to fit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — a subject
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. racket — a loud noise

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