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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: field · bulb · craft · mate · tear · deal

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — for sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — a skill
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. tear — to rip
  12. craft — boats
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bulb — of a plant

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