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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: bay · cold · kick · bulb · can · branch · hand · sharp

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. can — a tin
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. can — a tin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. cold — not warm
  21. kick — in football
  22. cold — an illness
  23. can — to be able to
  24. hand — help

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