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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kick — in football
  9. stand — to bear
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — for catching
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. leaves — of a tree

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