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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: arm · fall · cell · track · object · land · bulb · field

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bulb — for light
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. track — a path
  7. land — ground
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — a thing
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. track — to keep track
  16. field — for sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fall — the season
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — a song
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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