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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mark — a grade
  11. chest — a box
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cell — a phone
  24. chest — of your body

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