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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. roll — a cake
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — a company
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. bulb — for light
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chest — a box
  19. craft — boats
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bulb — for light
  23. roll — a list
  24. leaves — lets stay

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