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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 120 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: spell · bulb · fall · bowl · cue · current · cap · field

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. current — happening now
  3. spell — magic
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. field — a subject
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — electric
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — letters
  15. current — of water
  16. fall — the season
  17. cue — a signal
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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