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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: content · lash · foot · bark · current · fan · bulb · field

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. content — the amount
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. content — happy
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — for sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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