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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 116 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: bass · file · mine · field · trunk · club · wax · bulb

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a document
  8. club — for golf
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. file — a line of people
  11. field — farmland
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — for digging
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. club — a group
  20. bass — low music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bass — the fish
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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