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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. branch — a division
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cap — a hat
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — moving air
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cap — of ice
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cap — a lid

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