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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. last — to go on
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a music group
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. last — finally
  12. stem — to come from
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. season — in sport
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. face — to point toward
  23. last — final
  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