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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — of ice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. degree — temperature
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. present — the time now
  13. drill — a practice
  14. present — there
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — a gift
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. degree — an amount
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — 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