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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kick — in football
  12. scale — in music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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