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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spring — the season
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. staff — a stick
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. present — a gift
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. row — a line
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — for light
  19. staff — employees
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. spring — of water
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. row — to paddle
  24. present — there

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