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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. season — in sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chip — to eat
  5. season — of the year
  6. bulb — for light
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bark — to shout
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. clip — a video
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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