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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 120 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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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: bulb · ball · face · lash · mug · band · court · field

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. band — a ring
  3. field — farmland
  4. band — a music group
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — for sport
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. court — of law
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. face — to confront
  22. court — of a king
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mug — a face

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