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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: cold · saw · club · bulb · present · field · row · safe

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. saw — the tool
  4. row — a line
  5. cold — not warm
  6. field — a subject
  7. club — for golf
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. row — to paddle
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. present — a gift
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. cold — an illness
  19. present — there
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. present — the time 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