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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. capital — money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pop — to visit
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fine — high quality
  10. capital — a city
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fine — all right
  22. branch — a division
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. sharp — exactly

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