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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: calf · dip · branch · field · wake · pitcher · stick · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. field — for sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — a trail
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. branch — a division
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — farmland
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. calf — a young animal

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