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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. board — to get on
  5. rock — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — a series
  9. object — a thing
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. board — a committee
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rock — a stone
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. object — an aim
  24. court — of law

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