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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stock — goods
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — a trace
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. branch — a division
  12. bank — for money
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. spring — a coil
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — a city
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bank — of a river
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spring — the season
  24. wax — in the ear

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