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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — for light
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. object — an aim
  8. field — for sport
  9. stock — shares
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fork — in a road
  14. object — a thing
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — to protest
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. bark — of a tree

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