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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 · spring · date · perch · calf · field · ball · deal

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — to handle
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. spring — a coil
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. field — for sport
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spring — of water

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