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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. row — to paddle
  3. field — farmland
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. march — the month
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — in a road
  8. march — music
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — a hat
  21. field — for sport
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cap — of ice

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