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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: mug · bound · sharp · bank · bulb · field · cell · roll

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mug — a face
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bound — certain
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bound — tied together
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — a subject
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bank — for money
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bank — for money
  21. mug — a cup
  22. field — for sport
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mug — to rob

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