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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: lean · march · field · bulb · fine · stick · mate · race

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — to breed
  3. march — the month
  4. field — for sport
  5. march — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bulb — for light
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. lean — thin
  17. fine — all right
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. field — farmland
  23. march — the month
  24. race — humankind

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