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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. squash — the sport
  10. land — a country
  11. sharp — clever
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kick — in football
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bulb — for light
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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