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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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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: wave · content · rush · firm · branch · bat · tear · bulb

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. content — the amount
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. branch — a division
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — happy
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — a company
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. firm — decided
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. content — videos and posts

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