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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — government
  7. capital — money
  8. spring — the season
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. charge — in control
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rule — a law
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fork — in a road
  18. charge — a price
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — a city
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fork — to eat with

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