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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — to protest
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bass — the fish
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bound — certain

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