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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. season — of the year
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pop — soda
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — the animal
  12. charge — in control
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pop — music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. charge — electricity
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. charge — a price
  23. branch — a division
  24. bat — in an idiom

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