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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: spring · wake · safe · bulb · field · straw · board · file

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — a coil
  3. file — a document
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. field — a subject
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. board — to get on
  15. field — farmland
  16. wake — a trail
  17. board — a committee
  18. field — for sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spring — of water
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wake — before a funeral

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