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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chest — a box
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. branch — a division
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. root — the cause
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — of a word
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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