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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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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: stem · bulb · branch · wind · cabinet · sharp · mouse · perch

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. branch — a division
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — the fish
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cabinet — ministers

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