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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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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: wind · bulb · ground · current · branch · perch · bore · mine

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — happening now
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. branch — a division
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — of water
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — a position
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bulb — for light
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. current — electric
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ground — crushed

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