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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. race — a contest
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fork — in a road
  14. race — humankind
  15. spell — letters
  16. ground — a position
  17. march — the month
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. march — the month
  24. bulb — for light

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