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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — for digging
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spring — a coil
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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