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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 116 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: wind · branch · bulb · mine · can · wake · chip · wound

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wake — a trail
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. branch — a division
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wake — before a funeral

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