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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spell — letters
  9. clip — a video
  10. saw — the tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — to cut
  24. trunk — of a car

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