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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — farmland
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. court — of a king
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — belonging to me

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