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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 · lie · chair · fall · pitcher · leaves · field · current

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — electric
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. field — farmland
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. current — happening now
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. current — of water
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. field — for sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — the season
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. field — a subject

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