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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: bulb · rock · arm · fork · file · wound · field · cabinet

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. file — a document
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rock — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. field — farmland
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. field — a subject

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