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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. branch — a division
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pound — a weight
  9. content — happy
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rule — a law
  14. content — the amount
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rash — a series
  19. rule — government
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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