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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 120 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: rest · last · suit · capital · field · leaves · ruler · bulb

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. field — a subject
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. field — farmland
  7. suit — clothes
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. suit — in cards
  11. capital — money
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. capital — a city
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rest — a break
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. last — finally
  20. field — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. leaves — to go away

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