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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — farmland
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — a leader
  10. band — a music group
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. branch — a division
  16. band — a ring
  17. bore — to drill
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. field — for sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bore — to 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