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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. branch — a division
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. arm — part of the body

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