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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bound — certain
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. object — a thing
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bound — obliged
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. staff — employees
  15. object — to protest
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — the season
  24. branch — a division

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