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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: pop · trunk · current · rule · bulb · branch · mine · stem

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bulb — for light
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. rule — government
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rule — a law
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pop — soda
  14. current — electric
  15. branch — a division
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pop — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. trunk — of a tree

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