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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. branch — a division
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pop — soda
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lean — thin
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bulb — for light

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