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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: bulb · mark · content · lash · bear · ground · field · bat

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. field — for sport
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. content — happy
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — the amount
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mark — a grade
  14. field — farmland
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. ground — the earth
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — a position
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bulb — for light

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