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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — a line
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — a trace
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a ring
  15. mate — a friend
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — a division
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — a partner
  21. band — a music group
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — a football final

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