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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. foot — a measure
  6. clip — to cut
  7. last — final
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — finally
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. branch — a division
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. clip — a video
  21. bulb — for light
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. clip — for paper
  24. last — to go on

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