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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. season — of the year
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. swing — in golf
  6. key — in music
  7. swing — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — for a lock
  10. season — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — to play on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bore — to tire
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. key — the most important part
  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