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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: branch · game · bulb · clip · plane · pop · bore · kid

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. branch — a division
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kid — to tease
  6. clip — for paper
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — soda
  10. bulb — for light
  11. game — a match
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — a video
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kid — child
  16. clip — to cut
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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