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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — in sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — for catching
  11. branch — a division
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — low music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. staff — employees
  21. date — the fruit
  22. staff — employees
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. net — after costs

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