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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 116 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. present — a gift
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. present — there
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — in sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. present — the time now

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