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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — a division
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. last — finally
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. clip — a video
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. last — final
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ground — a position
  19. mate — to breed
  20. last — to go on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hand — help

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