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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rest — a break
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bank — for money
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spring — the season
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — a coil
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. branch — a division

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