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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: kick · fork · club · last · branch · mine · bulb · safe

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kick — in football
  5. club — a group
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bulb — for light
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. last — to go on
  16. fork — in a road
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — of a tree

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