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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 · track · rush · spring · field · trunk · bound · press

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rush — hurry
  4. press — to push
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. field — farmland
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — a coil
  16. track — a song
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — a path
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spring — the season
  24. press — a publisher

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