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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — the season
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mug — a face
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — the Cold War

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