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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 120 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 · bulb · stock · ground · current · leaves · patient · tube

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. current — electric
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. ground — the earth
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. field — farmland
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stock — goods
  19. field — a subject
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — happening now

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