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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bulb — for light
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. band — a ring
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. club — a group
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. club — for golf
  23. bound — certain
  24. band — a music group

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