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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. drill — army training
  3. lie — to recline
  4. content — the amount
  5. branch — a division
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — happy
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cap — a hat
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cap — a lid
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. drill — a practice
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. snap — to click

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