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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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. field — a subject
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — low music
  6. march — the month
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. field — for sport
  10. deal — to handle
  11. march — the month
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. march — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. plane — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. plane — in geometry

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