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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 116 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: branch · hide · bulb · shower · wake · fine · scale · rest

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fine — all right
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — a division
  11. rest — a break
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fine — high quality
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wake — a trail

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