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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 124 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — a hat
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cap — of ice
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — to trim
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. row — to paddle
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. row — a line
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bulb — for light
  24. staff — employees

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