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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 · season · last · board · lean · leaves · tear · saw

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lean — thin
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. last — finally
  7. lean — to bend
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. board — a committee
  19. season — in sport
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — final

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