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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kick · patient · face · stock · field · lash · march

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. face — to point toward
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stock — goods
  14. face — to confront
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. field — a subject
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — the month
  22. field — farmland
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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