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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cold — not warm
  4. firm — steady
  5. can — a tin
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. firm — a company
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. firm — decided
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. branch — of a bank

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