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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lie — to recline
  7. shower — to wash
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. field — farmland
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. field — for sport
  15. shower — rain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — a subject
  21. rest — what's left
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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