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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. drill — a practice
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. field — a subject
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. craft — boats
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. drill — army training
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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