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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rule — a law
  5. drill — a practice
  6. dip — to sink
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — army training
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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