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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pop — soda
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bark — to shout
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pop — music
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bank — for money
  24. leaves — lets stay

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