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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: court · field · bulb · fork · dip · rush · mark · staff

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. field — a subject
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — of a king
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mark — a grade
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. court — for sport
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rush — hurry
  23. field — farmland
  24. dip — to dunk

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