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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cap — of ice
  11. content — the amount
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mate — a friend
  15. content — happy
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mine — for digging
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. straw — a straw man

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