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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. season — of the year
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. race — a contest
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. race — humankind
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. row — a line
  23. season — in sport
  24. race — the arms race

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