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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. field — farmland
  3. row — a line
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. net — in sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — a subject
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — after costs
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — for sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. row — to paddle
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spell — magic
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. nail — for a hammer

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