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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. present — a gift
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. staff — a stick
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — hasty
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. press — to push
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — there
  17. bulb — for light
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. press — newspapers
  20. present — the time now
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rash — a series

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