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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. swing — in golf
  5. present — there
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. swing — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. sharp — clever
  11. shower — to wash
  12. present — a gift
  13. bulb — for light
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — the time now
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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