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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: bound · rush · file · branch · bulb · wake · pass · bat

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. file — a document
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bound — certain
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pass — a permit
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bulb — for light
  20. file — a tool
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. branch — of a tree

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