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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. content — the amount
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. content — happy
  11. march — the month
  12. field — for sport
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. march — music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — of ice
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cap — a lid
  24. leaves — lets stay

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