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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rock — music
  7. branch — a division
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rock — a stone
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. kid — child
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mouse — for a computer

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