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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 · rush · net · wind · fork · object · branch · game

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. game — a match
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fork — in a road
  6. game — wild animals
  7. branch — a division
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. net — for catching
  14. bulb — for light
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. rush — hurry

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