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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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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: trunk · firm · bulb · drill · safe · rash · hide · field

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — farmland
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rash — hasty
  17. field — a subject
  18. rash — a series
  19. drill — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — for sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. firm — steady

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