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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.

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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. current — happening now
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a ring
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mine — belonging to me

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