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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: leaves · bark · fan · firm · staff · bulb · row · pit

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bulb — for light
  7. firm — steady
  8. row — to paddle
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. firm — a company
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pit — a hole
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. row — a line
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. firm — decided

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