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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: ball · wound · field · fine · stock · bulb · prune · straw

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — for sport
  3. ball — a great time
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — goods
  9. fine — all right
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. field — farmland
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — a subject
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fine — high quality

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