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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. band — a ring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. shower — rain
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — of a king
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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