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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. craft — a skill
  4. track — a song
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — a leader
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. craft — boats
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — an illness
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — to keep track
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. field — a subject
  24. trunk — of a car

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