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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. press — a publisher
  12. net — after costs
  13. bass — low music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — clever
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — a division
  24. sharp — exactly

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