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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. spring — the season
  5. pass — a permit
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. club — for golf
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. field — a subject
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stock — goods
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. club — a group
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — a coil
  20. branch — a division
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. club — for dancing

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