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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: net · bulb · race · fork · cap · wake · stick · field

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — for sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cap — a hat
  9. race — a contest
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. race — humankind
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — after costs
  22. bulb — for light
  23. net — for catching
  24. field — farmland

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