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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — hasty
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — there
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. present — a gift
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. kid — child
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. clip — a video
  23. present — the time now
  24. bay — a horse colour

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