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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. branch — a division
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tube — a container
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — the time now
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — the underground
  24. present — there

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