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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: present · safe · cell · saw · scale · pitcher · field · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. present — there
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. present — a gift
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. saw — the tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — a subject
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. scale — in music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  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