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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cold — the Cold War

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