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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: cell · leaves · bulb · mark · wound · race · foot · deal

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. race — a contest
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mark — a trace
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. race — humankind
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. deal — to handle
  19. race — the arms race
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. foot — a measure

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