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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · bulb · squash · cabinet · chair · branch · arm · march

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — a leader
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — the month
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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