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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 · mine · leaves · last · jam · hand · cap · ruler

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — a hat
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — final
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cap — of ice
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — in cards
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mine — for digging
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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