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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 · net · bulb · coach · rest · jam · root · wound

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bulb — for light
  14. root — the cause
  15. field — farmland
  16. root — of a word
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — after costs
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a plant
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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