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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: tear · pitcher · bay · field · present · bulb · tube · season

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. season — of the year
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. field — farmland
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — for light
  12. present — a gift
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — in sport
  18. present — there
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tube — a container
  22. bulb — for light
  23. present — the time now
  24. field — for sport

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