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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — to go on
  16. band — a music group
  17. last — final
  18. bulb — for light
  19. last — finally
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hide — to keep secret

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