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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 · field · leaves · bat · content · tube · jam · sharp

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — clever
  3. field — farmland
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — a subject
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — happy
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bat — the animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. tube — a container
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. field — for sport

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