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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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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: rash · bowl · clip · bulb · saw · rest · net · branch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. branch — a division
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rest — what's left
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rest — a break
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. net — after costs
  18. rest — what's left
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bowl — to roll

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