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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: lie · rule · wake · bulb · court · mark · branch · net

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. net — in sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — a law
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lie — to recline
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — a division
  19. rule — government
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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