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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — for golf
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — to push
  13. current — happening now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — electric
  17. press — a publisher
  18. club — a group
  19. snap — to click
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. club — for dancing

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