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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: march · bore · bowl · game · bulb · present · bank · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a match
  6. march — the month
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bore — to tire
  9. present — there
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. field — farmland
  13. present — a gift
  14. field — a subject
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. march — music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. present — the time now
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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