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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mate — a friend
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. march — the month
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rash — a series
  19. branch — a division
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rash — hasty
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — to drop

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