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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. last — final
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. tube — the underground
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. tube — a container
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — to crush
  21. last — to go on
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. last — finally

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