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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: spring · cue · field · track · bulb · ground · coach · suit

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. track — a song
  7. bulb — for light
  8. suit — to fit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. ground — the earth
  13. suit — in cards
  14. field — for sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ground — a position
  19. field — a subject
  20. suit — clothes
  21. track — a path
  22. cue — a hint
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bulb — of a plant

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