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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cold — an illness
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. shower — rain
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. nail — for a hammer

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