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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fine — all right
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — certain
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rest — a break
  9. track — a song
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. branch — a division
  20. bound — tied together
  21. track — to keep track
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. track — a path

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