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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: deal · clip · branch · foot · bulb · rest · net · hand

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rest — a break
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. clip — to cut
  14. foot — a measure
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — in sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — a video
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. branch — a division

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