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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. current — electric
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. field — for sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bulb — for light
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spell — letters
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spell — magic
  19. current — of water
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spell — a short time
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. straw — a straw man

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