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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 116 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: kick · last · spring · bore · branch · bowl · object · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. object — an aim
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. object — to protest
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spring — the season
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spring — of water
  16. kick — in football
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. last — final
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. branch — of a bank

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