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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · bulb · arm · rash · hand · land · season · bear

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — in sport
  5. land — a country
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rash — a series
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. land — ground
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. land — to come down
  16. rash — hasty
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bear — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bear — to put up with

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