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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. current — of water
  4. bulb — for light
  5. scale — in music
  6. rock — music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. scale — size or range
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mate — to breed
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. craft — boats
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. current — happening now
  20. branch — a division
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — a skill
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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