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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fall — to drop
  7. board — to get on
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — after costs
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cell — in biology
  18. net — in sport
  19. fall — the season
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — a committee
  22. snap — to click
  23. net — for catching
  24. cell — in a prison

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