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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · fine · bulb · present · row · cell · mine · field

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fine — high quality
  6. present — there
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. field — farmland
  9. ball — a dance
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fine — all right
  17. cell — in biology
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bulb — for light
  23. row — a line
  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