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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. suit — to fit
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. suit — clothes
  10. net — in sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — to confront
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. suit — in cards
  18. branch — a division
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. net — after costs
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. snap — to click

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