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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spring — a coil
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — happening now
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. last — to go on
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — electric
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. hand — in cards
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. last — finally
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — of water
  24. bulb — for light

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