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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: cabinet · pound · branch · bulb · rash · pitcher · field · fall

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — a subject
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pound — a weight
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fall — the season
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. branch — a division

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