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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. file — a tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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