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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rule — a law
  12. pit — a hole
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pit — in a race
  18. drill — army training
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bound — certain
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rule — government
  24. nail — for a hammer

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