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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. game — a match
  8. bulb — for light
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bound — certain
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bass — low music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. leaves — to go away

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