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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. spring — the season
  3. bat — the animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wind — moving air
  10. staff — employees
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bank — for money
  13. staff — employees
  14. bank — for money
  15. staff — a stick
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — a coil
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — a division
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — of water

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