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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. perch — the fish
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cue — a hint
  17. clip — a video
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — a trail
  21. face — to confront
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bass — low music
  24. face — part of the head

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