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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: band · chip · spring · pop · kick · bulb · bear · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spring — the season
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. pop — soda
  8. spring — of water
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pop — music
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. kick — in football
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — final
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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