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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: field · plane · ball · land · bulb · season · wound · firm

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — ground
  3. field — for sport
  4. firm — decided
  5. land — to come down
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. firm — steady
  10. ball — a great time
  11. season — of the year
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — an injury
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — a subject
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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