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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 116 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 · stick · field · pop · mine · bear · rush · ground

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ground — a position
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. field — for sport

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