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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tear — from crying
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rest — a break
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tear — to rip
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a music group

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