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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ground — crushed
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. staff — employees
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. present — there
  12. ground — a position
  13. rash — a series
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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