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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: roll · bulb · field · track · mug · present · cold · prune

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mug — a face
  3. bulb — for light
  4. present — the time now
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — for sport
  9. present — there
  10. track — to keep track
  11. field — a subject
  12. roll — a list
  13. track — a song
  14. mug — to rob
  15. present — a gift
  16. cold — an illness
  17. prune — to trim
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. track — a path
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. field — farmland
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bulb — for light

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