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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bat — the animal
  5. branch — a division
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — ground
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — a country
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a face
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — a trail
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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