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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 · bear · wind · leaves · bowl · branch · rush · kid

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kid — child
  24. bulb — of a plant

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