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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · roll · mate · cold · saw · staff · bulb · last

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rock — a stone
  4. last — finally
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. last — to go on
  13. staff — employees
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rock — music
  20. roll — a list
  21. staff — a stick
  22. last — final
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mate — to breed

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