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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. row — a line
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pit — in a race
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kid — child
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

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