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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kick — in football
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chest — a box
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spell — letters
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. branch — a division
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mouse — the animal

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