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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — to paddle
  3. season — of the year
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. date — the fruit
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — to shout
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — in sport
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. spring — a coil
  23. row — a line
  24. foot — part of the body

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