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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — a country
  3. branch — a division
  4. spring — of water
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bound — obliged
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bound — certain
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spring — a coil
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bass — low music
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fork — a garden tool

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