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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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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: bore · land · temple · wound · current · bulb · branch · fall

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. fall — the season
  3. branch — a division
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — of water
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. current — electric
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — a country
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — ground
  19. current — happening now
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. branch — of a tree
  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