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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — of the year
  3. field — a subject
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — music
  7. field — farmland
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. field — for sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. kid — child
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rash — a series
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mouse — the animal

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