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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. plane — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — music
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. field — a subject
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — the month
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mine — for digging
  24. nail — on a finger

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