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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: bulb · swing · ground · sharp · lean · tear · net · field

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. field — for sport
  4. tear — to rip
  5. net — after costs
  6. swing — music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. field — a subject
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — for catching
  16. tear — from crying
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. field — farmland
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bulb — for light

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