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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hand — help
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — of water
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spring — the season
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mine — for digging
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cap — a lid

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