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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. race — the arms race
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. spring — a coil
  18. last — to go on
  19. spring — of water
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — the season
  24. last — final

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