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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. last — final
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. root — of a word
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. chest — of your body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fall — the season
  17. last — finally
  18. bear — the animal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chest — a box
  22. root — the cause
  23. fall — to drop
  24. last — to go on

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