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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. last — finally
  2. field — farmland
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. suit — to fit
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — a subject
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. last — final
  15. field — for sport
  16. lean — thin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — to bend
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. band — a ring
  22. shower — rain
  23. suit — clothes
  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