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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: field · sharp · cap · bulb · lean · track · coach · march

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — farmland
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. march — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — a subject
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. march — the month
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — clever
  18. track — a path
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. track — a song
  22. march — the month
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cap — of ice

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