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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 116 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. file — a tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — thin
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — certain
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bound — tied together

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