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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fine — all right
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — after costs
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wax — to grow
  17. branch — a division
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bank — of a river
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. plane — an aircraft

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