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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. field — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. board — a committee
  5. field — farmland
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. land — a country
  8. tube — a container
  9. bass — low music
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — a subject
  19. bulb — for light
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — ground
  24. saw — the tool

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