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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: firm · field · staff · clip · bay · land · wake · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. firm — steady
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. field — farmland
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — to cut
  16. land — a country
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bulb — for light
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. firm — a company

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