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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — a law
  3. field — for sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. rule — government
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. season — of the year
  8. field — farmland
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rash — a series
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — a subject
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. branch — a division
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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