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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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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: bowl · prune · fine · bulb · land · race · toast · leaves

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. land — ground
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fine — high quality
  8. toast — bread
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fine — all right
  13. race — the arms race
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. race — humankind
  20. bulb — for light
  21. race — a contest
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. land — to come down
  24. toast — the most admired

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