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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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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: kick · mark · branch · wound · race · straw · track · bulb

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. race — a contest
  10. track — a path
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. branch — a division
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — in football
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. race — humankind
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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