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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ground — crushed
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. branch — a division
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — for light
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  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