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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — to visit
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pop — music
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — of water
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — after costs
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — soda
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. branch — a division
  22. spring — the season
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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