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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: bound · leaves · pop · foot · mug · stand · bulb · last

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bound — certain
  3. bulb — for light
  4. last — final
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mug — to rob
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stand — to bear
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mug — a face
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pop — music
  18. last — to go on
  19. pop — soda
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bulb — for light
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — finally

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