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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 · cold · bulb · pitcher · trunk · ball · tube · bowl

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. field — for sport
  4. tube — a container
  5. field — a subject
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of a car
  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