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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. charge — in control
  7. root — of a word
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. charge — a price
  11. tube — a container
  12. swing — music
  13. march — the month
  14. root — of a plant
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. charge — electricity
  18. root — the cause
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. march — music
  22. branch — a division
  23. tube — the underground
  24. march — the month

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