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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. hand — help
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bark — to shout
  12. field — a subject
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rock — a stone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rock — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. field — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. field — farmland

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