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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 116 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: ball · bulb · field · current · leaves · fall · race · dip

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. ball — a dance
  3. current — happening now
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. race — a contest
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. field — for sport
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ball — a great time
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — electric
  16. fall — the season
  17. field — farmland
  18. current — of water
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. race — humankind
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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