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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. foot — a measure
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ground — a position
  8. bulb — for light
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — to go away
  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