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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. content — the amount
  3. firm — decided
  4. squash — to crush
  5. firm — a company
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. content — happy
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. firm — steady
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. branch — a division
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. squash — the sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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