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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ground — a position
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. game — a match
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tear — to rip
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. leaves — to go away

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