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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: sharp · cap · last · bulb · chest · leaves · saw · nail

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — finally
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chest — of your body
  10. last — final
  11. chest — a box
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cap — a hat
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cap — a lid
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — for light

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