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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rash — a series
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. present — a gift
  7. tear — to rip
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. land — ground
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — a subject
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. land — a country
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. field — farmland
  24. tear — from crying

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