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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: pop · hand · bulb · march · leaves · deal · field · pass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pop — music
  6. field — farmland
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. field — for sport
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hand — in cards
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. march — music

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