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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: cue · hide · land · march · roll · leaves · mouse · bulb

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. land — to come down
  4. cue — for pool
  5. march — the month
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. roll — a cake
  9. march — the month
  10. land — a country
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. land — ground
  18. bulb — for light
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. roll — on a roll

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