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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: fan · firm · chest · leaves · bulb · cold · rest · toast

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. firm — a company
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. firm — decided
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bulb — for light
  12. toast — bread
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. firm — steady
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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