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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — letters
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — a stone
  14. drill — a practice
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rock — music

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