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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ground — crushed
  13. land — ground
  14. ground — a position
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. ground — the earth
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cold — an illness
  19. land — a country
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — to come down
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bulb — for light
  24. perch — for a bird

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