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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. march — music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fine — all right
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. season — of the year
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. season — in sport
  24. file — a document

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