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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. toast — bread
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. branch — a division
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spring — of water
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. net — after costs
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — for catching

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