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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. land — to come down
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bore — to tire
  10. land — a country
  11. content — happy
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rule — a law
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. content — the amount
  24. land — ground

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