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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bulb — for light
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. club — a group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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