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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cell — in biology
  9. branch — a division
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rest — a break
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — the season
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spring — a coil

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