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

Word bank: branch · net · deal · cue · pound · wound · bulb · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cue — a hint
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. branch — a division
  10. bulb — for light
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. net — for catching
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. deal — to handle
  24. net — after costs

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