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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — for dancing
  3. firm — steady
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. club — a group
  10. firm — decided
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chest — a box
  16. press — newspapers
  17. perch — the fish
  18. club — for golf
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. press — to push
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. firm — a company
  24. bulb — of a plant

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