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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lean — thin
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rest — a break
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stock — goods
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — for digging

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