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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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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: file · bulb · field · mug · nail · foot · hand · spell

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. field — farmland
  4. hand — in cards
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. foot — a measure
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. field — a subject
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mug — a face
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — help
  21. file — a line of people
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bulb — of a plant

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