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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · current · field · mug · bulb · content · fork · date

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — farmland
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — of water
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mug — to rob
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. field — a subject
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. date — the fruit
  20. current — electric
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. content — videos and posts

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