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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — to crush
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — to wash
  11. field — for sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. shower — rain
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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