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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: object · ball · bass · kick · club · field · shower · bulb

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — for golf
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. shower — to wash
  7. object — a thing
  8. shower — rain
  9. club — for dancing
  10. object — an aim
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — for sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — low music
  17. kick — in football
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. object — to protest
  24. club — a group

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