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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. race — a contest
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. race — the arms race
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pound — a weight
  13. race — humankind
  14. track — a song
  15. lean — thin
  16. branch — a division
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. spring — the season
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lean — to bend
  22. track — a path
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. branch — of a bank

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