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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fall — to drop
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fall — the season
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. scale — size or range
  18. branch — a division
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. row — a line
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. scale — in music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. scale — for weighing

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