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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bulb — for light
  4. race — humankind
  5. pop — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fall — to drop
  15. race — a contest
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cue — a hint
  18. spring — the season
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fall — the season
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cue — for pool

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