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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: can · current · ground · field · race · face · bear · bulb

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — part of the head
  6. race — the arms race
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — happening now
  14. ground — a position
  15. race — humankind
  16. current — electric
  17. race — a contest
  18. bulb — for light
  19. can — a tin
  20. current — of water
  21. can — a tin
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bulb — of a plant

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