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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: mark · bulb · rush · branch · chest · fall · cap · last

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cap — of ice
  5. branch — a division
  6. bulb — for light
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — the season
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — final
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rush — hurry

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