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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — a subject
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. field — farmland
  5. bank — for money
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. last — to go on
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. field — for sport
  11. mark — a trace
  12. last — finally
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. last — final
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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