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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 120 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: fall · bore · spring · kick · branch · tube · ground · pop

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — a container
  4. ground — a position
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pop — music
  7. branch — a division
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — of water
  10. bore — to tire
  11. spring — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. kick — in football
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fall — the season

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