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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: hand · tube · content · board · can · key · field · bulb

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. content — the amount
  3. board — a committee
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — for sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — to get on
  9. content — happy
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. field — a subject
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. tube — a container
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — help
  23. can — a tin
  24. bulb — for light

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