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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. field — a subject
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — for light
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. field — for sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden 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