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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. spring — the season
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. spring — a coil
  5. race — humankind
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. branch — a division
  9. stock — goods
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spring — of water
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rash — a series
  15. stock — shares
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bound — certain
  18. race — a contest
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cell — in biology
  21. race — the arms race
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — a dish

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