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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 · wake · chest · sharp · jam · press · roll

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. press — newspapers
  10. field — for sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — a subject
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. press — to push
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wake — a trail
  22. roll — a list
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. field — farmland

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