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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. object — a thing
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — a phone
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — for catching
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — in biology
  19. net — after costs
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. march — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — to protest
  24. tear — to rip

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