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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. net — for catching
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. net — in sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — the season
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spring — of water
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. net — after costs
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. branch — a division
  24. saw — the 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