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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cap — of ice
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. toast — bread
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. present — the time now
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a ring
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — there
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. band — a music 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