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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. press — a publisher
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ground — crushed

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