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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — a break
  4. shower — rain
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chest — a box
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bulb — for light
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cap — a lid
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. roll — a list
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. branch — a division
  24. chest — of your body

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