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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 · fall · ruler · land · spring · foot · field · season

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — of the year
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. field — for sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — of water
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. land — to come down
  21. fall — the season
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. foot — the bottom

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