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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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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. object — to protest
  3. shower — rain
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. season — in sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. season — of the year
  14. bulb — for light
  15. object — an aim
  16. lean — thin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. key — the most important part
  19. object — a thing
  20. cell — in biology
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lean — to bend

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