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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. land — a country
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. band — a ring
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. branch — a division
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. band — a music group
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — ground
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rush — hurry
  19. land — to come down
  20. spring — a coil
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. bowl — a football final

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