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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. field — a subject
  3. bulb — for light
  4. craft — a skill
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — magic
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stock — goods
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — a short time
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — shares
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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