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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 120 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. land — to come down
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — a country
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mate — a partner
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. land — ground
  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