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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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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: arm · bulb · key · squash · lean · branch · stick · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bulb — for light
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — not warm
  10. squash — to crush
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cold — an illness
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. key — in music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lean — thin

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