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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: perch · fan · kick · net · spring · branch · dip · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spring — of water
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kick — in football
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. branch — a division
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — for light
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. dip — to dunk

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