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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. net — for catching
  6. cold — not warm
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — magic
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. net — in sport
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — after costs
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cap — of ice

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