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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: field · chair · fan · rule · hand · mate · bark · bulb

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rule — government
  11. hand — help
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. field — farmland
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rule — a law
  24. bark — to shout

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