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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — soda
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bass — the fish
  6. squash — the sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. pop — music
  9. bass — low music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — to visit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. squash — to crush
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — an injury
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — a subject
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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