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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: pop · roll · bulb · cap · bat · squash · stick · branch

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pop — to visit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cap — a lid
  10. roll — a list
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — soda
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. branch — a division
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pop — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. squash — the vegetable

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