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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. shower — rain
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — for paper
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. shower — to wash
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pit — in a race
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. clip — a video
  23. pound — a weight
  24. leaves — to go away

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