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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. march — the month
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. last — finally
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mark — a grade
  19. march — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — to go on
  22. mark — a trace
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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