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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: mine · last · game · branch · tube · bulb · rush · jam

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. game — a match
  5. bulb — for light
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. last — final
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — hurry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bulb — of a plant

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