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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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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: cap · calf · pound · race · mouse · branch · bulb · spring

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — a contest
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — of water
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pound — a weight
  12. branch — a division
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — the arms race
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mouse — for 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