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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: rule · spring · bulb · last · wax · cell · leaves · lie

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. last — to go on
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. last — final
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cell — in biology
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bulb — for light

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