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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: bulb · land · game · rush · branch · cell · roll · craft

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cell — a phone
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. land — ground
  6. game — a match
  7. bulb — for light
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. craft — a skill
  10. land — a country
  11. craft — boats
  12. cell — in biology
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rush — hurry
  15. branch — a division
  16. roll — a list
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bulb — for light
  22. land — to come down
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cell — in a prison

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