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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rule — government
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fine — all right
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. branch — a division
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bound — tied together
  20. key — in music
  21. fine — high quality
  22. tube — a container
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bound — certain

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