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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. object — to protest
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — for light
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. perch — the fish
  8. object — a thing
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. object — an aim
  18. branch — a division
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — for digging
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — help
  24. branch — of a tree

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