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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 120 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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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: temple · bore · kick · branch · race · bulb · clip · bowl

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. race — a contest
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bore — to drill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. race — humankind
  10. clip — a video
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bore — to tire
  17. race — the arms race
  18. branch — a division
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. clip — for paper

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