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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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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: fork · bulb · swing · bear · stick · field · bound · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fork — in a road
  5. field — a subject
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. field — for sport
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — farmland
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. swing — music
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bound — certain

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