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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. land — a country
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. land — to come down
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — ground
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. toast — bread
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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