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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rest — a break
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. charge — electricity
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rest — what's left
  17. charge — in control
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. bulb — for light
  21. charge — a price
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mine — for digging

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