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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: nail · branch · present · fall · chair · bulb · chest · mark

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. present — there
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. present — the time now
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mark — a grade
  10. present — a gift
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. branch — a division
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chest — a box
  24. branch — of a tree

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