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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — not warm
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something

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