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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — a box
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pop — music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. staff — employees
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bulb — for light
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pop — soda
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. season — of the year
  22. perch — the fish
  23. season — in sport
  24. bulb — for light

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