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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: bulb · field · land · wound · trunk · current · ruler · press

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. field — for sport
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. current — happening now
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. current — electric
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — to come down
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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