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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lean — thin
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bulb — for light
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. scale — size or range
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hand — help
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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