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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rock — music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — a phone
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spring — of water
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rest — a break

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