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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: branch · bulb · race · firm · spring · last · tube · bound

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. firm — a company
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — obliged
  6. firm — decided
  7. last — finally
  8. race — humankind
  9. spring — of water
  10. firm — steady
  11. spring — the season
  12. race — a contest
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — final
  15. tube — the underground
  16. last — to go on
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spring — a coil
  21. race — the arms race
  22. branch — a division
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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