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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. scale — size or range
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. scale — in music
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bat — in an idiom

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