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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spell — magic
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ball — a great time
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. spell — letters
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. spell — a short time
  24. lash — an eyelash

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