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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. squash — to crush
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. squash — the sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mark — a grade
  14. kid — to tease
  15. present — the time now
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kid — child
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. squash — the vegetable

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