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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: leaves · content · bat · land · snap · bulb · branch · pass

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bat — the animal
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. bulb — for light
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. content — the amount
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — a division
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. snap — to click

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