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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · lie · court · bank · lash · spell · field · bulb

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. spell — letters
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — of law
  7. spell — magic
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spell — a short time
  13. field — a subject
  14. bank — of a river
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bank — for money
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. court — for sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. court — of a king
  23. lie — to recline
  24. field — farmland

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