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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — in biology
  3. ground — the earth
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. field — farmland
  6. cell — a phone
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. staff — a stick
  9. drill — army training
  10. bulb — for light
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — a subject
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. staff — employees
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. staff — employees
  23. field — for sport
  24. drill — a practice

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