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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: land · row · plane · field · track · bulb · lean · prune

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. field — for sport
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — a path
  6. land — ground
  7. track — to keep track
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. plane — a tool
  13. track — a song
  14. row — to paddle
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a line
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lean — thin
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — a country

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