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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cue — for pool
  5. season — in sport
  6. cue — a hint
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. branch — a division
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. snap — to click
  20. season — of the year
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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