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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. kick — in football
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — a country
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spring — of water
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — a coil
  15. land — to come down
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — a position
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — the earth
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ground — crushed

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