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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: mark · bear · bulb · hand · field · pop · trunk · kick

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — a subject
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — for sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pop — soda
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pop — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mark — a grade

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