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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hand — in cards
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — for sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. field — farmland
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bound — certain
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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