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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chair — a leader
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. branch — a division
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — rain
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chair — a professorship

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