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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. band — a music group
  5. perch — the fish
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bulb — for light
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. race — humankind
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — a subject
  17. kid — child
  18. race — a contest
  19. band — a ring
  20. field — farmland
  21. race — the arms race
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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