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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: bulb · trunk · leaves · pound · pop · squash · swing · land

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bulb — for light
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pound — a weight
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. squash — to crush
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. swing — music
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pop — to visit
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — music
  24. pound — for dogs

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