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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — for sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bass — low music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. field — a subject
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — farmland
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. land — a country

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