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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 · fork · racket · bulb · bass · perch · key · present

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. bass — low music
  6. field — farmland
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — a gift
  9. bulb — for light
  10. present — the time now
  11. bass — the fish
  12. field — a subject
  13. present — there
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fork — in a road
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — for sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  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