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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: wake · row · hand · chip · bay · field · bulb · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — farmland
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — a line
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wake — a trail
  23. field — a subject
  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