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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. club — for golf
  4. content — happy
  5. branch — a division
  6. present — a gift
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — the amount
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — a group
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bulb — for light

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