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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. content — the amount
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bat — the animal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. branch — a division
  20. cap — a hat
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bulb — for light

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