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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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 bank
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bat — the animal
  7. march — music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — help
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. fine — high quality
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wax — for sculpting

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