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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: court · dip · mine · field · mouse · staff · bulb · pound

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — of a king
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — a subject
  10. dip — to sink
  11. field — farmland
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. staff — employees
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. court — of law

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