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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: pitcher · bulb · tear · net · can · content · branch · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — after costs
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — for catching
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — the amount
  16. branch — a division
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. net — in sport
  24. content — videos and posts

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