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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — farmland
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to click
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. staff — employees
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — for sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. field — a subject

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