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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: bulb · fan · fall · wound · band · branch · object · mug

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. branch — a division
  5. band — a music group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. object — to protest
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. object — a thing
  16. mug — to rob
  17. band — a ring
  18. object — an aim
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fall — the season
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mug — a face
  24. fall — to drop

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