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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tear — to rip
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — farmland
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ball — a dance
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. tear — from crying

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