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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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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: bay · bulb · leaves · arm · ruler · cold · tube · rest

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tube — a container
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rest — a break
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. ruler — for measuring

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