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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — the month
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bulb — for light
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. can — a tin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. date — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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