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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: bulb · last · spell · cold · rock · mug · branch · wound

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mug — a face
  5. branch — a division
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spell — magic
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — a short time
  16. last — final
  17. spell — letters
  18. rock — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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