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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. firm — a company
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. firm — decided
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cell — a phone
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. firm — steady
  22. cold — not warm
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cell — in biology

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