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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 · date · perch · pitch · bound · fork · mouse · field

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — a subject
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — farmland
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fork — in a road
  19. field — for sport
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. date — on the calendar

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