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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bass — low music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. bulb — for light
  7. field — farmland
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — after costs
  12. field — for sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. club — for dancing
  15. net — for catching
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — a subject
  21. club — for golf
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — the fish

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