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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. field — a subject
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. chest — a box
  22. tear — to rip
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. leaves — of a tree

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