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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: bulb · kick · tear · branch · lash · snap · mine · fine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kick — in football
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mine — for digging
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. branch — a division
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mine — belonging to me

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