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

Word bank: toast · pit · branch · wind · lean · stem · swing · bulb

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — a division
  9. swing — music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. swing — to play on
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. toast — bread
  22. lean — thin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pit — a hole

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