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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — a series
  6. scale — in music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bass — low music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — the fish
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. staff — a stick
  24. branch — a division

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