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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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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: rest · rule · bulb · branch · mate · wound · face · toast

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. toast — bread
  6. rule — a law
  7. branch — a division
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rest — a break
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mate — to breed
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rest — what's left
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rule — government

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