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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: cabinet · bound · racket · dip · field · mug · hand · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mug — a cup
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — farmland
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — for sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bulb — for light
  24. racket — a loud noise

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