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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · branch · march · stick · bulb · saw · snap · file

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. march — music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — a division
  7. spring — of water
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to click
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a document
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spring — the season

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