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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: mug · field · club · staff · bulb · bark · suit · band

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mug — a cup
  6. suit — clothes
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — to rob
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a face
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — a stick
  13. field — a subject
  14. club — for dancing
  15. suit — to fit
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. field — for sport
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. bulb — for light
  21. club — for golf
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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