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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. face — to confront
  11. mug — to rob
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — for paper
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. face — part of the head
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pass — a permit
  22. band — a music group
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. band — a ring

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