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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lean — thin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — to bend
  12. branch — a division
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spring — the season
  17. key — in music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — goods
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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