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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. kick — in football
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chest — of your body
  8. branch — a division
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chest — a box
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — thin
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bowl — a football final

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