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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: ruler · field · pitcher · band · bark · lean · mug · bulb

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — to bend
  4. field — for sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. field — farmland
  8. band — a music group
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lean — thin
  24. mug — to rob

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