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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 116 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 · rule · pitcher · bound · racket · band · field · game

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. band — a music group
  7. bound — obliged
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bound — tied together
  12. field — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. field — a subject
  20. bound — certain
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rule — a law
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rule — government

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