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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — a line
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. field — a subject
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — to paddle
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. tube — the underground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — a container
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to click
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bulb — for light
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ruler — a monarch

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