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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: spring · bulb · cap · field · fork · can · chest · club

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — a box
  6. spring — the season
  7. club — for golf
  8. chest — of your body
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cap — a hat
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spring — a coil
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — a subject
  16. spring — of water
  17. club — a group
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. fork — a garden tool

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