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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: club · bulb · land · safe · branch · drill · content · kick

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. branch — a division
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — for light
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. land — ground
  13. drill — a practice
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. content — the amount
  18. kick — in football
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. club — for golf
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. club — a group
  24. drill — army training

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