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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: bark · bulb · field · mouse · firm · season · ground · roll

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — farmland
  4. firm — steady
  5. roll — a list
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. ground — crushed
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. firm — a company
  17. season — of the year
  18. field — for sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — a position
  22. firm — decided
  23. season — in sport
  24. roll — on a roll

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