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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — finally
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — a box
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — final
  14. season — in sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lean — to bend
  18. last — to go on
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. season — of the year
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — the fish

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