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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pound — a weight
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lean — thin
  5. field — for sport
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stock — shares
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lean — to bend
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. patient — a sick person

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