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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: branch · tube · foot · cabinet · rest · bulb · sharp · wind

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — a division
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rest — a break
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — with an edge

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