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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. face — to confront
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. degree — from a university
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. branch — a division
  10. degree — temperature
  11. row — to paddle
  12. field — farmland
  13. tube — a container
  14. bulb — for light
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. face — to point toward
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. degree — an amount
  23. row — a line
  24. face — part of the head

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