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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: club · field · chest · bulb · spell · saw · jam · bound

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chest — of your body
  3. field — a subject
  4. club — for golf
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. club — a group
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — for sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bound — obliged
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chest — a box
  24. spell — letters

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