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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. deal — to handle
  4. spring — of water
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bat — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spring — a coil
  11. row — a line
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. can — a tin

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