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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: branch · rash · swing · field · bulb · land · mug · fork

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — ground
  4. field — a subject
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mug — to rob
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. swing — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — a country
  19. field — farmland
  20. mug — a face
  21. land — to come down
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — for sport
  24. fork — in a road

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