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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: roll · lie · drill · bulb · field · stick · spring · fan

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bulb — for light
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — of water
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. roll — a cake
  10. field — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spring — the season
  16. roll — a list
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. lie — to recline
  24. field — a subject

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