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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: content · bulb · field · arm · pitch · land · bear · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. land — a country
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. content — the amount
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pitch — completely
  9. field — farmland
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. field — a subject
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — to paddle
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — for sport
  18. land — ground
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. content — happy

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