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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. craft — boats
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — a list
  5. field — a subject
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cue — a signal
  9. field — for sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — on a roll

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