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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: present · branch · bulb · field · rest · leaves · rule · wax

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rule — a law
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. field — a subject
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rule — government
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. branch — a division
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. present — the time now
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. present — there

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