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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: nail · bulb · kick · leaves · wound · bound · tear · branch

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — obliged
  10. branch — a division
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bound — certain
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. tear — to rip

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