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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a music group
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. march — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bulb — for light
  13. band — a ring
  14. sharp — clever
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — a phone
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bank — of a river
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bulb — for light

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