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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: ground · branch · spring · band · bulb · present · bat · craft

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spring — a coil
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. present — a gift
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — the season
  7. craft — a skill
  8. spring — of water
  9. present — the time now
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. present — there
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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