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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: bulb · face · mark · chest · rock · roll · club · field

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. club — a group
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mark — a trace
  6. roll — a list
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. roll — a cake
  9. chest — of your body
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — to confront
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — a grade
  15. club — for golf
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — for sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rock — music
  24. field — a subject

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