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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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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: pit · dip · perch · bat · bulb · spring · rule · leaves

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rule — a law
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spring — of water
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — government
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. spring — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pit — a hole

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