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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · deal · spell · key · field · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spell — magic
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. field — a subject
  8. deal — to handle
  9. key — the most important part
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — for light
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bulb — for light

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