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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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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: suit · fork · safe · straw · bulb · tear · field · hide

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fork — in a road
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. suit — to fit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — to rip
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. suit — in cards
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bulb — for light

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