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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 · jam · leaves · land · race · coach · nail · season

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. race — a contest
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. race — the arms race
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. land — a country

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