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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — a friend
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. press — newspapers
  10. field — for sport
  11. bulb — for light
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. press — to push
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. press — a publisher
  24. field — farmland

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