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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 120 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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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: stem · firm · present · bulb · field · club · last · tube

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. field — a subject
  3. firm — decided
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. last — finally
  7. tube — a container
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. club — for golf
  10. firm — steady
  11. stem — to come from
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. field — for sport
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. firm — a company
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stem — of a plant

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