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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — part of the head
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cap — of ice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cap — a lid
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stem — to come from
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — to confront
  22. file — a document
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — for digging

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